Drivers - Section of McFarlin south of City Hall is open to traffic

Good news for Park Cities motorists and for parents who have children at the Intermediate/Middle School campus - The City has reopened McFarlin Blvd. south of City Hall. The road had been closed for construction of a bridge and dam.

Although vehicle traffic has resumed, there are still a few tasks to complete before the overall project is finished. The list includes finishing work on the dam that is south of the bridge, and completing landscaping on the bridge and on the newly created island in Williams Park. All project work is expected to be completed by late November. Until then, the water level of the pond and Turtle Creek will remain lower than normal.

Project background

The public-private project had two main components. The first component involved the construction of a new collapsible dam to replace the old McElvaney Dam. The second involved a new bridge on McFarlin. The new dam is located approximately 300 feet south of McFarlin. The bridge and dam will now work in concert to keep flood waters largely within the banks of Turtle Creek. During major rainfall events, the dam will lower when the water level reaches a predetermined threshold to prevent flood waters from flowing over the road.